Goleta made history Tuesday night, officially designating five trees across the city as its first “heritage trees.”

In a unanimous vote, the Goleta City Council approved the selection and names of five trees, which include: the Spanish fir, brush cherry and Moreton Bay chestnut at the Stow House, the Goleta Community Center Australian willow and the Jonny D. Wallis Park western sycamore witness tree.

“It’s been a long time coming that we have been working on it or just been requested for a while, so this is great,” Mayor Paula Perotte said. 

The designation signals that the tree is special to Goleta because of its size, age, species, rarity, or historical or horticultural significance, explained George Thomson, parks and open space manager.

Some of the individual trees on the list also hold record-breaking titles and impressive ages. The Australian willow, Spanish fir and western sycamore witness trees in Goleta are the largest trees of their kind in the country, according to Thomson.

“I will let that speak for itself,” he said.

The heritage tree status also offers protections and means the trees can not be removed unless they are dead, dying or dangerous, without giving notice to the city’s Public Tree Advisory Commission.

The commission advanced the recommendation to designate the five trees as heritage trees to the City Council in June. 

The designation “signals to staff” to increase tree care.

The Australian willow sits at the Goleta Community Center courtyard at 5679 Hollister Ave. and was the “centerpiece” of the historic 1927 Goleta Union School, according to the city staff report.

A botanical assessment found it to be in good health and form, according to Thomson. 

At the Stow House at 304 N. Los Carneros Road, the three trees on the heritage tree list are linked to the Stow family. 

The Spanish fir was likely planted as part of Ida Stow’s arboretum in the 1870s and is the largest tree of its kind in the country, Thomson said. 

The botanical assessment revealed “concerning things,” including some decay at the base of the tree, but it was still deemed worthy of heritage tree status. 

“Typically, Spanish firs don’t live this long, and in our area, I think we have one other species on the South Coast that we know about,” Thomson said. 

The brush cherry tree, also at the Stow House, is a state champion, which means it’s the largest known living specimen of that tree kind in California. 

“There’s reason to believe that it is also the national champion; it just has not been nominated as much,” Thomson said. 

The Moreton Bay chestnut, estimated to have been planted in 1883, is not a state or national champion. Thomson believes it could be the first of its species planted in the South Coast region based on historical records. 

The brush cherry and Moreton Bay chestnut at the Stow House are in good condition, according to the city staff report. 

The western sycamore witness tree, at Jonny D. Wallis Park at 170 S. Kellogg Ave., is estimated to possibly be older than the United States and definitely older than the State of California, Thomson said.

“This tree we know is older than 250 years old, and so we’ve actually taken cuttings from this,” Thomson said. 

A California native western sycamore witness tree means that it is confirmed to predate European colonization. That specific tree is also used for regional riparian restoration. 

“This tree is a really important component of not just our riparian restoration program, but across the South Coast,” Thomson said. 

The tree is tied to the owner of Rancho La Goleta, Daniel Hill, and the tree was used as a geographical marker in the 1860s, according to Thomson.

“Such a special tree, so much history there,” Councilman James Kyriaco said. “It’s such an important part of the Goleta Valley.”

Some of the trees planted recently through Goleta’s Project Connect actually come from the tree at Jonny D. Wallis Park, according to Thomson.

Many of the council members also supported putting up signage to mark the trees’ status. 

Goleta resident and arborist Ken Knight nominated the trees in 2023 and served on the Goleta Public Tree Advisory Commission. He spoke at Tuesday’s meeting and said he chose those five trees because they were the ones most likely to be approved. 

While he was grateful for the City Council’s approval Tuesday, he said preservation will require extra steps. 

“Recognition was not an objective. Preservation of these and other heritage trees was always my ultimate objective,” Knight said.